The return of a word, phrase, stanza form, or effect in any form of literature. Repetition is an effective literary device that may bring comfort, suggest order, or add special meaning to a piece of literature. Repetition may be of single letters or sounds, as in alliteration and onomatopoeia, or it may be of whole words or phrases to create an atmosphere or mood. The repeating of words or phrases can add a sense of balance and rhythm to a piece of writing, as with the Gettysburg Address: "... of the people, by the people, and for the people."
South of the bridge on Seventeenth
I found back of the willows one summer
day a motercycle with engine running
as it lay on its side, taking over
slowly in the high grass.I was Fifteen
I admired all that pulsing gleam,the
shiny flanks, the demure headlights
fringed where it lay; I led it gently
to the road and stood with that
companion, ready and friendly. I was Fifteen.
We could find the end of a road,meet
the sky on out Seventeenth. I thought about
hills, and patting the handle got back a
confident opinion. On the bridge we indulged
a forward feeling, A tremble. I was fifteen
Thinking, back farther in the grass I found
the owner, just coming to, where he had fliped
over the rail.He had blood on his hand, was pail-
I helped him walk to his machine.
He ran his hand over it,called me a good man, roared away.
I stood there, fifteen
How Repetition Is Used:
Repitition is used when the auther repeats "I was fifteen". The auther wants us to focus on the event he writes about. The author wants us to focus on that point of his life when he was "fifteen" because this is when he realizes that owning a motorcycle is a big responsibility. It changes his opinion. Repeating the phrase stresses the importance of the event. Repititon changes the meaning from the begining to the end.
Definition:
The return of a word, phrase, stanza form, or effect in any form of literature. Repetition is an effective literary device that may bring comfort, suggest order, or add special meaning to a piece of literature. Repetition may be of single letters or sounds, as in alliteration and onomatopoeia, or it may be of whole words or phrases to create an atmosphere or mood. The repeating of words or phrases can add a sense of balance and rhythm to a piece of writing, as with the Gettysburg Address: "... of the people, by the people, and for the people."
Example Poem: "Fifteen"
By:William Stafford
South of the bridge on Seventeenth
I found back of the willows one summer
day a motercycle with engine running
as it lay on its side, taking over
slowly in the high grass.I was Fifteen
I admired all that pulsing gleam,the
shiny flanks, the demure headlights
fringed where it lay; I led it gently
to the road and stood with that
companion, ready and friendly. I was Fifteen.
We could find the end of a road,meet
the sky on out Seventeenth. I thought about
hills, and patting the handle got back a
confident opinion. On the bridge we indulged
a forward feeling, A tremble. I was fifteen
Thinking, back farther in the grass I found
the owner, just coming to, where he had fliped
over the rail.He had blood on his hand, was pail-
I helped him walk to his machine.
He ran his hand over it,called me a good man, roared away.
I stood there, fifteen
How Repetition Is Used:
Repitition is used when the auther repeats "I was fifteen". The auther wants us to focus on the event he writes about. The author wants us to focus on that point of his life when he was "fifteen" because this is when he realizes that owning a motorcycle is a big responsibility. It changes his opinion. Repeating the phrase stresses the importance of the event. Repititon changes the meaning from the begining to the end.